The course has been set

 

Oberberg. There is no sign of it yet, but in a little over six months the first OVAG hydrogen buses will be rolling on the streets of Oberberg. The buses are stationed at the depot in Wipperfürth-Hämmern. As OVAG managing director Corinna Güllner presented to the district development committee, this depot was deliberately selected: “With 25 buses currently located there, the depot in Wipperfürth-Hämmern is an ideal size to be able to fully convert to hydrogen operation within a manageable period of time to become. In addition, there are plans to upgrade line 336. The first emission-free buses in Oberbergisch are to be used more frequently on this line.”

The geographical proximity to the two hydrogen pioneers among transport companies, namely RVK, which uses hydrogen buses at the depot in Wermelskirchen, and WSW mobil in Wuppertal, also speaks in favor of the depot in the northern district.

15 hydrogen buses

from Solaris

Last year, OVAG ordered 15 “Urbino 12 hydrogen” hydrogen buses from the bus manufacturer Solaris following a Europe-wide tender. Production is going according to plan and the first five buses will be delivered in early 2025. The further ten buses will follow during the first quarter of 2025.

The buses are powered by hydrogen, which is stored in gaseous form in so-called pressure storage tanks on the vehicle roof. The compressed hydrogen is then fed into a fuel cell, which generates electricity for the traction motors. The only byproducts are waste heat and water vapor.

The Solaris hydrogen buses will be equipped with modern fuel cells with a total output of 70 kW and with Solaris high-power traction batteries to support the fuel cell during times of peak electricity demand. The vehicles are powered by a 160 kW electric central motor. The Urbino hydrogen vehicles ordered are heated with a heat pump. The range of one tank full of around 350 kilometers covers most of the typical OVAG vehicle rotations very well. Promotion through

Federal funding

The purchase of the 15 buses is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with 4.3 million euros. The funding is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the Project Management Jülich (PtJ).

In his dual role with the Oberbergischer Kreis as public transport authority and as chairman of the OVAG shareholders' meeting, District Administrator Jochen Hagt is pleased about the funding from the federal government: “Noticeably reducing emissions, creating attractive living space and expanding sustainable mobility – the procurement of the 15 hydrogen buses is a forward-looking measure.

The extensive federal funding of 4.3 million euros makes an important contribution to improving the quality of life of the citizens in Oberberg.” But District Administrator Jochen Hagt also sees the challenges associated with the long-term financing of new drive technologies. Despite the impressive sum, the funding only covers 80% of the additional costs compared to the procurement of diesel buses, so the remaining part has to be covered by our own funds. The running costs are currently higher than those of operating diesel buses. Financing the switch to alternative drive technologies specified by the EU represents a major challenge for OVAG and the Oberbergischer Kreis, which all transport companies and authorities across Germany are currently facing and would like reliable and long-term financial support from the federal and state governments.

Mobile hydrogen filling station from Air Liquide

In the initial phase, the buses will be refueled using a mobile filling station solution. The French gases manufacturer Air Liquide was able to win the tender, which was met with great response. This operates the largest trailer filling center for hydrogen in Europe in Marl. With Air Liquide's mobile tank solution, the hydrogen is delivered in trailers and filled directly from the trailer into the bus via a transfer board.

It was important to OVAG and Oberbergischer Kreis that renewable hydrogen (“green hydrogen”) be used right from the start. Air Liquide produces the hydrogen in its new PEM electrolysis plant “Trailblazer”, which is currently in the transition from the commissioning to the operating phase in Oberhausen. The system is powered by renewable electricity from a wind farm and splits water into its components hydrogen and oxygen without producing any emissions.

The tender for the construction and operation of a stationary hydrogen filling station will be issued shortly, so that it can probably be put into operation in 2026. With the stationary filling station it will one day be possible to refuel the entire bus fleet at the Wipperfürth-Hämmern location with hydrogen.

OVAG remains

Technology-open The decision to move into hydrogen technology was made on the basis of a feasibility study. Due to the topography in Oberberg and based on the “state of the art”, the experts’ clear recommendation for OVAG was to rely on hydrogen as a future drive technology.

This recommendation was confirmed in the practical test in which buses from various manufacturers were tried out in Oberbergisch last year. The hydrogen buses were particularly impressive when it came to overcoming kilometers of altitude and their range.

At the same time, technical progress is particularly important in the vehicle sector and the range of battery-electric buses has also been increased in recent years. An update of the feasibility study shows increasing potential for the use of battery-electric buses in Oberberg. OVAG therefore remains open to technology and is focusing on a mix of different drive technologies in the future.